


Puddles Of Sky

by TiramisuTerror



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood, Gen, Graphic Violence, Hybrid - Freeform, M/M, Modern, Murder Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-02-18 12:44:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18699853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiramisuTerror/pseuds/TiramisuTerror
Summary: Cameron Dallis has always been abnormal, what with being part of the eight percent of the population born with animalistic traits. But it wasn't his antlers for once that made him weird. This time he could explain the issue. There was a murderer in the same room as him, and the police were making sure the casualties wouldn't mount to more than the twenty-some people in the same place. The only light in the darkness, he soon finds, is friendship amongst the terror, with Jackie, his first human friend, and Liam, a cow-hybrid, who seems abrasive, but a bit more calm than everyone else, which they need.





	1. Fortune Favors The Bold. Murderers Don't.

Cameron Dallis leaned back in his chair, relaxing as his professor began their daily lecture. He'd managed to duck this time and not hit his head on the doorframe of his Spanish 501 class. His eyes narrowed automatically as the professor, Dr. Hernandez, began explaining the cultural importance of Dia Del Nino, or Day of the Children. His antlers thudded as they hit the wall of the back or the lecture hall, making his jump in surprise. He fiddled with his sleeve cuff, trying to calm down. Cam sighed, listening as the man beside him, a jaguar-hybrid named Henry, if he remembered correctly. And usually his memory was correct. The man was built like the hulk, with lightning fast reflexes on top of his tall ears and tail. A natural born athlete if Cameron had ever seen one. Then there was Meagan, an elephant-hybrid, obvious by her trunk, tusks, too-large ears, and bulky physique. Not that he blamed her for her overweight stature, no more than he blamed himself for his own too-skinny torso. The three hybrids stuck in the back corner of the class. Nothing they weren't used to.  
He shrugged and turned back to the lecture, proceeding with his diligent note-taking as usual. The ever-present extra weight his antlers put on his forehead as he craned his head over the paper was just as, well, ever-present. Dr. Hernandez kept it up with his sharp voice and intolerance of misbehavior, but even so, time seemed to flick by. Soon enough, the bell sung out, and he shifted himself in his chair as students rushed past. He knew it'd just be annoying to try and jostle his way to the door, but Meagan and Henry seemed to be working through the crowd just fine. As the last few people flickered out, he joined them, and shut the door.  
A couple more classes, then lunch, alone, then back to his dorm. Relaxing as he shut the door. Joking away with Pete, his roommate, and hippo-hybrid. Then flustering himself over mountains of homework. College life was what he'd dreamed of for so long, and it was just as good as he'd dreamed. He was officially an adult, and sure, homework was annoying, but it seemed for once that his peers were that. Peers.

\---

A couple months later, Cam was helping Pete pack up his bags for Christmas break. Pete was lucky, having a family he loved to go home to. Cam didn't, but that didn't mean he couldn't adventure around town and enjoy the snowy streets. He drove with his roommate to the airport, and waved happily as Pete's plane departed. The drive home was beautifully decorated by white powder. Lights blinked across the shopfronts, twinkling in the setting sunlight.  
He slumped down on the couch as he got home and flicked the TV on. He was always jumpy, but the sound of sirens converging somewhere nearby still set him on edge. He realized quickly that no, it wasn't nearby, it was here. At that moment, the intercom in the living room blared.  
"There has been a murder in building C. All students are to stay where they are. No one from that building is to leave, all others evacuate."  
Ho-Holy hell. A murder, but who'd died? Who'd killed them?  
"The murderer should surrender themselves, or face the police force."  
He swallowed back bile, terrified. He shook himself, trying to clear his head as tears raced down his cheeks. Someone in this building had died.

\---

He cleaned himself up, getting ready to spend the night awake when a rapid knocking came from the door. He checked the eye-hole, then opened the door a a flustered, red-eyed, dark-haired girl ran inside. Cameron was confused briefly, but everything quickly organized itself. The girl was human, nothing hybrid about her.  
"Your- your name is Cameron right?" She asked, voice barely above a whisper.  
"Mhm." Cam replied, "Are you alright? What'd you come running to me for?"  
"I'm Jackie, but you're a hybrid. You can protect me, right?"  
"Look, I- I know there are rumors about our strength. It's all ridiculous. Some are, of course, stronger simply because they're half bear or something, but me? I'm half deer. Only thing I'm good at is running. Sorry to disappoint."  
"Well, uhm, we should probably get everyone together? That way we can rule out candidates."  
"Yeah, sounds good. Call me Cam, by the way."  
Jackie's breathing had returned to normal, and the two made their way over the building, telling everyone to get some sleep then meet at the common area at 9 a.m. the next morning. The two exchanged numbers, so they could communicate if need be. Cameron hadn't ever been fast friends with anyone but Jackie was easy-going, and the only person he could cling to with Pete gone. They were up well past midnight slipping pieces of paper under doors, just to get everyone together. Sheer exhaustion was the only thing that let Cameron sleep at last.

\---

Cameron woke up, put on a decent white button down and jeans. He tried, unsuccessfully, to tame his curly hair. He marched himself downstairs to be greeted by Jackie's heavy-lidded face. He tried to smile, but the circumstances just wouldn't allow it. Cameron and Jackie organized the couches and table to face a makeshift stage, just the window seat with a microphone and amplifier of Jackie’s.

They made notes, trying to decide what to talk about, as the other kids slowly filtered downstairs. The woman waved, half-hearted and sheepish. They looked at each other, then sat down in the back row. Over the next half-hour, the seats were filled. Cameron glanced at Jackie.

“You ready?”

She nodded solemnly and took up her place on the window seat, luckily she was short enough to do so. She began her speech, as Cam sat beside her, a bit unsettled by the way they kept glancing at him, then quickly looking away. He noted the two other hybrids scattered throughout the crowd of roughly twenty. Meagan, the elephant-hybrid, in his Spanish class, then the other more, a cow-hybrid, who he hadn’t met.

There were far fewer students here than lived in the dorms. Most were away on break, he assumed. That was good, they were safe. He slipped out of the ocean of his thoughts and onto the shore as Jackie finished up.

“We should start discussing options now.” She stated, her hands fidgetting.

One scrawnier boy in the back called out, “We gotta figure out who the murderer is.”  
Cam dead-panned, “Anyone want to come out?”. When no one responded with more than a murmur to their neighbor, he sat back again, “Just trying to lighten the mood.”

Sighing, Jackie tried to return their attention to her. "If we all know each other, it'll be easier to figure out, right?"

A few students nodded in agreement, and their discussion began.


	2. Cling To What's Left Of Normal

The discussion continued, until an idea hit Cam. “Hey, uh, Jackie?” He asked, tugging gently on her sleeve from his seat.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I’ve got an idea, can you, um, share it?”

 

She nodded, eyes brightening, “Okay, spill!"

 

“What if we all paired up? Then, if someone died, we’d know without a doubt who the murderer was.”

 

Jackie nodded again, grabbing the microphone. She shared his idea, the group murmuring hopefully.

 

Until one voice from the back struck with deafening force. “But someone would have to die.”

 

A tense scilence blanketed them. No one spoke for a long, long time. Then the cow-hybrid yawned, stretched, and stood. His long horns reflected the light, and he easily towered over everyone, even Cam, who was used to being the tallest. “Yeah, one of is gonna have to die for this to work. But what the hell, better than multiple people, right? Which is what we’ll get if we don’t figure something else out.”

 

“Then pair up, people!” Jackie encouraged.

 

Cameron looked up to her, but she was already off with another girl. He deflated, noting Meagan was also already taken. The sound of loud footsteps behind him, followed by the tap of a large finger made him flinch. “Hey.” The cow-hybrid grunted roughly, “Name’s Liam. You in?”

 

Cameron nodded hesitantly, “Yeah, the murderer wouldn’t go along with a plan that makes it harder to catch ‘n’ kill.”

 

Liam grinned, flat white teeth showing. “Mhm, ‘xactly.”

 

The two ventured up to Cam’s room, other students filtering out in pairs as well. Cameron ducked under the doorframe, and Liam turned sideways. The two sat down on the couch, a pregnant scilence heavy in the air.

 

“So.” Cameron stated.

 

“So.” Liam agreed.

 

“Why’d you pick me?”

“Like you said, a murderer wouldn’t come up with a plan that’d make it easier to figure who they were.”

 

“Jackie- She passed it off as her idea though.”

 

“‘Here’s an idea.’” Liam quoted, “Not, ‘I have an idea’. Plus I saw you two chatting before.”

 

“Mmm. Still, I don’t feel like that’s the reason.”

 

“Well, us hybrids gotta stick together, right, man?”

 

“Ugh. So you only picked me cause of these?” Cam hissed, pointing agressively at his antlers. “I’m sick and tired of that being all anyone ever sees! I’m a hybrid first, person second. Isn’t that right? I’m half animal, I’m just as much a deer. No! I’m not! I’m not an animal!”

 

“Jeez, dude, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

 

“No, of course you didn’t. No one ever ‘means anything’. I’m just someone they can tell their friends about. The guy with antlers growing out of his head. I hate them!”

 

“I think they’re pretty cute.” Liam murmured under his breath.

 

“I- what?” Cam breathed, head spinning with withheld anguish.

 

“Eh, ‘s nothing.”

 

He grunted, then turned. “My roomate, Pete, is out for the holidays. You can have his room til he gets back. Do whatever you want, just don’t make a mess, or any permanent changes.” With that, Cam shut his own door and smashed his head under a pillow, muffling his screaming.

 

\--- 

 

He must’ve fallen asleep, because it was three p.m. the next time he woke up. And that was to the sound of his door opening, Liam in the doorway.

 

“Hey, sleepyhead, you organized a meeting, so I organized a meal.” He grinned, setting the tray gently on the nightstand.

 

“Oh, I- uh, thanks.”

 

“By the way, what I said earlier, I think your antlers are pretty cute.”

 

Cameron nearly choked. “You- you- they, no- cute? Wha-” He sputtered, incoherence falling like rain from the clouds that blurred his mind. 

 

But Liam was out the door before he could finish.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oioioioi I love these boys. And two chapters back to back. Productivity. I dunno how long I'll be able to keep up with that though. Not that anyone has actually read this thing, or that I expect anyone to. Sorry that's its shorter than the first one. Chapter three'll be much longer to make up for it. I promise. So, uh, yeah.


	3. Don't Let The Screams Sink In

Cameron sighed, and did his best to smooth down his hair. He sat down at his desk, Liam hadn’t done anything great. It was only toast and scrambled eggs with cheese. Oh, well, it was still good. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had someone make food for him. Going out to eat didn’t count, of course, and Pete wasn’t a great cook, no offense to him.

He leaned back, glancing over his shoulder at the doorway. Liam was splayed out on the couch, watching some sort of sport. Cam sighed to himself, he’d given the other man a perfect chance at his life. Liam most likely wasn’t going to murder him.

The lights flickered, he heard a couple of footsteps, then a loud scream. He squeezed his knees to his chest, hands shaking. He stared at his desk, mind flying. Liam walked into the room, stepping sideways through the doorway. The other man’s hand fell onto Cam’s shoulder. Cameron flinched, his breathing ragged.

“Hey, y-you alright?” Liam asked gently.

“Someone… they probably just died.” He whispered, barely audible, still not looking up.

“I guess.” Liam muttered, “Sorry.”

Cam shook his head, “I’ll text Jackie ‘n’ see if we can get everyone together.”

“Alright, I’m going to the bathroom, back in a bit.”

“Alright.”

\---  
Cameron tried desperately to stop shaking, fumbling with his phone. He called her up, untrusting of his fingers.

“Cameron, you heard the…” Her voice trembled.

“Uh-huh. We- we gotta get everyone together.”

“I’ll put s-some flyers under the doors. S-six?”

“Ok-kay.”

Liam turned the shower on in the other room, and Cam grabbed a book, trying to calm himself down. Flipping page after page, immersing himself in the fictional characters. His breathing steadied, his face was damp, that was fine. He smoothed his shirt. God, it had lasted less than a day, now the murderer had revealed themself. Who could’ve died? What were they going to do about their body?

He cleaned up his tray, washing it off in the kitchen. He set an alarm for 5:30, that way he could meet Jackie before people came down. He needed to talk to someone, and he trusted her far more than Liam. Then again, he figured Liam was logically far more dependable. He stood, heart weighing his head down. 

\---

Cameron made his way down the the commons, then sat down on the window seat again, leaning back against the glass. Jackie joined him a few minutes later, her eyes reddened with salty tears. She took her place beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Cameron swallowed nervously, “J-Jackie?” He asked uncertainty.

“I can’t take this.” She murmured into his shirt. 

“Hey, it’s okay. We’ll get through it.” He fought to steady his voice, maybe some small part of him believing that if he said it, it would make it true. He sighed, staring at the ceiling. The clock ticked closer to six, and he heard doors opening and closing as the others got ready to head down.

“We should get ourselves ready.” He muttered half-heartedly. Jackie nodded, picking herself up. “We need to figure out what to do with the body, and what to do with the murderer.”

“All we heard was a scream, how do we even know someone was killed?”

“Just a hunch, but it seems like the most reasonable conclusion right now.”

Jackie resigned herself to that, and got up, just as the first student came in, a shorter, thicker-set man. More students followed, though notably far fewer than had arrived previously. He looked over at Jackie, concern spreading over deer-like features. Multiple students were stifling sobs as they made their way to the common room. It sent another distinct wave of fear over him, to see that maybe half of them were returning, though the elephant-hybrid, Meagan, was among them.

“Alright, we should start. It looks like everyone who is coming is here.” He spoke, trying to battle the butterflies nipping at his stomach from the inside. “Who… who died?”

A younger-looking woman from the back raised her hand. “M-my- my- b-boyfriend. H-his n-n-name was Anthon-ny.”

A gruff voice came from the front row, “My roommate, Darrel.”

“Peggy.” Jackie whispered.

“Lauren.”

“Two people from the room next to mine, I didn’t know them.”

“Isaac and Deja.”

“Maria, an- and Samuel.”

“Delacortez.”

“Eleven people.” Cameron breathed. “But how could it happen so quickly?”

“Maybe the murderer has some way of teleporting?”

“That’s ridiculous. They probably planted something in their rooms to make sure they all died at the same time.”

Cam glanced back, watching Liam’s expression go from nervous to worried. As if the gravity of the fact that so many of them had died had just rolled over him like the storm clouds that stirred in his grey eyes. “The second theory sounds right.” Liam noted.

“We should all stay together, clearly splitting up didn’t work.” The same person who’d announced the death of the two in the room next to their stated. 

“Then we should all get to know each other, at least a little.” Cameron supplied. “Names first, I guess? I’m Cameron, but I usually go by Cam.”

“My name’s Leyla.” A small, mousy girl in the front stated, voice trembling as she spoke.

“Call me Dave.” The gruff man grunted, his bulky form shifting as he scratched his bristly beard. His eyebrows furrowed at the silence that followed, waiting for someone else to share their identity.  
“I go by Horus, helluva a lot easier to pronounce than Amenhotep. Still Egyptian though, I swear my dad’ll kill me if I don’t honor our heritage.” A tall, tan-skinned man from the front corner supplied.

“Kyra.” One pretty girl from the back said, blond hair splayed over her thin frame.

“Well, I- I’m Meagan. I’m an elephant-hybrid.” Came the familiar voice from in front of Cameron, he tried unsuccessfully to muster a smile for her.

Liam went next, stating his status as hybrid as well. Cam squeezed his own shoulder, self-conscious that he hadn’t mentioned his own strange heritage.

“Orion.” The first student to arrive murmured, half to himself.

“I’m Jacquelyn, but- but- c-call m-me Jackie.” Jackie flinched as Cam rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder, brushing her dark hair behind her ear.

No one else spoke, and Cam took it to mean they were all introduced. Automatically, some of the people began to move the couches into a more semi-circular shape around the TV. Someone turned it on, to where as aerial shot of their dorm was being shown, still surrounded by police cars. Apparently some had tried to enter, but had been murdered silently. A generic woman’s voice illustrated the barest bones of their situation, and sent Meagan and Horus into a new wave of crackling sobs. A few people filtered out to go grab what they needed to set up the commons for the rest of the night, as they assumed safety in numbers would be their best approach. Cameron followed their lead, going up and changing into more comfortable, more casual clothes. Just sweatpants and an old sweatshirt that had belonged to his foster dad. A few people sat and spoke in hushed voices, others curled up with their phones. Cameron pulled out his own, just as the TV shut off, turning to the grey-and-white no signal screen. His phone provided no bars, and groans from the few people around him showed that his wasn’t alone.

\---

Most of the students had drowsed off, leaving only him and Kyra awake. The blonde girl made her way to the couch where he was staring out the window, absentmindedly. She tapped his hand, lightly. Cameron flinched, then settled as he realized who it was.

“Can’t sleep?” She asked softly.

Cameron shook his head, forlornly, “I don’t want to.”

Kyra tilted her head in confusion, “Scared? Or something else on your mind?”

“I’m okay, I think. I’m just… a little numb? I didn’t know anyone who died, I guess it felt impersonal. Like stuff on the news. ‘Thousands dead’, but I didn’t know anyone, so why should I care?”

“I can see how you’d feel that way. But still, my boyfriend…” Kyra shuddered, and Cam looked over to her sympathetically.

“His name was Anthony, right?”

“Y- Yes.”

“Mm.” Cam pursed his lips,

“You seem like you seem like you wanted to add something.”

“Nevermind. We can deal with it in the morning.”

\---

Eventually he and Kyra dozed off, their stomachs rising and falling. Cameron woke to the sound of soft footsteps, Leyla making her way to the kitchen. 

Suddenly, the lights flickered, and Leyla lay in a pool of blood. Cam trembled, rushing to her. He tore a strip of fabric off his shirt, trying to stem the bleeding as the mousy girl coughed crimson. Her breathing shuddered, and her muscles relaxed. Her formerly blue eyes were white, the sun blocked by stormy clouds. Her tears left their tracks down her cheek. Her hands were coated in blood that had sprayed from the wound, deep and ugly, in her side. 

Liam rushed forward, his chest heaving from running into the room. Horus was sobbing just behind him, Orion, Jackie, Kyra, Meagan, and Dave were still getting groggily up, Leyla’s final scream having woken them. 

“Oh god…” Liam murmured, his form falling like Cam’s tears.

Horus crumpled behind him, Orion standing now too, awestruck and horrified as his own tears tumbled. Jackie trembled and Dave stared, silent, with a hand on Jackie’s shoulder. Meagan’s hands covered her eyes, though he could tell tears were brimming. Cameron stood, walked to the sofa, curled up in a ball, and cried. Cried and cried and cried.

\---

He was vaguely aware of Liam’s large hand on his shoulder, shaking him. Cameron groaned, getting up. 

 

“Hey, sleepyhead, breakfast is ready.” Liam murmured softly.

Cam nodded listelessly, shifting off the couch and sat down on one of the barstools. Some small corner of his mind noted that Leyla’s body was gone, but he was still too groggy to actually process it. Orion and Horus were cooking together, the two of them in a culinary dance this way and that.  
Soon, there were eight plates with stacks of pancakes coated in chocolate chips in front of each of them. Meagan dug in right away, along with the two chefs. The remaining five still seemed hesitant, but eventually Dave shrugged and tucked in. Jackie and Liam soon followed suit, and Kyra too. Cam was the only one still staring at the delicious food in front of him. 

I’m hungry! One part of his brain argued.

But what if Orion and Horus poisoned it? The other responded.

No one had fallen over dead yet, or even showed any sign of disliking the taste. If it didn’t kill him, but Orion and Horus were the murderers, he’d die anyway. Also, Cam was hungry. He took a bite, mouth watering at the taste of blueberries and carbohydrates.

“This is really good, thanks.” He smiled up at them.

Orion nodded, “Yeah, no prob’ Bob!”

Horus smacked his friend over the head, “You’re such a dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I really want to start fleshing out other characters, specifically Horus and Kyra. I dunno why but they seem like people with interesting roles in the story? As of late, Dave and Liam both fit the 'corse and rocky jock' stereotype but I want to pull them both out of it. I need more Meagan being a pure lil bean in my life, please and thank you. I don't know what to do with Orion and Jackie either, they need some moments of them being good. 
> 
> As promised, chapter 3 was a lot longer to make up for the lack in chapter 2, if it was later.


End file.
